Alkmaar

City and commune (just over 100,000 inhabitants) in the Netherlands, located in the west of the country, in the province of North Holland, approx. 40 km northwest of Amsterdam, known for several monuments dating back to the Middle Ages and a traditional cheese market.

Alkmaar was first mentioned in the 10th century. The settlement was granted city rights in 1254 by Willem II, Count of the Netherlands from the Gerolfing dynasty. One of the most important events in the history of the city was the successful defense of Alkmaar, besieged in 1573 by Spanish troops during the Eighty Years' War, which was a turning point in the military situation and the beginning of the liberation of the Dutch provinces from Habsburg rule. Today the city is an important industrial, commercial and cultural center of North Holland.


The city is known for the well-preserved buildings of the historic center and several noteworthy monuments, the most important of which is the Gothic Sint-Laurenskerk from the end of the 15th century (inside it is worth paying attention to the huge organ and the tomb of Floris V, son of Willem II mentioned above), town hall (Stadhuis) from the beginning of the 16th century, and the former urban weight hall (Waag) in the main square (Waagplein ).

One of Alkmaar's main tourist attractions is the weekly (Fridays, April to September) cheese market on Waagplein (there is a cheese museum in Waag). The marker is the nearby beer museum (Proeflokaal de Boom) and the marker - the city's historical museum (Stedelijk Museum Alkmaar).